The Eagle's Nest
by Sami-Fire
Summary: Prussia finally has the children that he has dreamed of for so long and starts a family of his own.


Author's Notes:

This is the first chapter in a series of short stories about Gilbert finally getting that family he wants so much (think of it as an extension of "The Eagle's Chicks"). It will be updated... not on a regular schedule, I'm afraid. This is the first fic I have ever published "on the fly," without preparing all the chapters beforehand. New chapters will be added as I have ideas for them and time to make them, but don't worry! I do have some scenes planned out. Enjoy this first chapter, and stay tuned for the future ones!

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><p>Gilbert sat in his chair, pressed a warm, soft bundle of blankets in his arms close to his chest, and rocked it gently back and forth.<p>

What set this occasion apart from certain previous episodes he suffered when lonely or depressed was that there was something more than blankets in this bundle. There was a baby swaddled in the softness, and more importantly, it was _his_ baby. What he had been dreaming about for years had finally come to fruition: he now held a precious little life, one that he had created himself, one he could guide and care for from the very beginning.

It would have been misleading to say that this was Gilbert's first child. Indeed, that would have been wrong. His first real child was a nation (or, rather, a city and oblast) that had been born "normally," a little boy named Nikolai who represented the city that was once Gilbert's capital so many years ago: Kaliningrad. Like most nations, Nikolai had merely "appeared." The fact that, genetically, Gilbert and Ivan were his "parents" was something of a coincidence, but it was one he welcomed deeply after the initial shock. Nikolai was his boy, and he loved his son with all a father could muster. Distance was nothing for nations; it was a simple warp from his house to Nikolai's in Kaliningrad whenever he wanted to visit his child, who would otherwise be cared for by a carefully chosen caretaker (what a shame it was that nations were forced to live in the areas they represented).

Perhaps to say that the new baby was Gilbert's second child would be wrong as well. It could have been said that, all in all, Gilbert had three children if Ludwig was included. Ludwig was the first major test of Gilbert's paternal instincts, and judging from the results, Gilbert would say he had succeeded. He had raised that sickly little boy to the powerful nation that everyone recognized today, and he felt that that was a task that no one with lesser instincts could accomplish. However, Ludwig was very clearly no longer a child, and despite all attempts to get his hardworking little brother to slow down a bit, Gilbert was left with one less person to take care of.

Regardless of what the past had given him, Gilbert found himself longing for more to care for than just Nikolai. Little Niko was doing a perfectly fine job of filling the void that Ludwig had left behind and giving Gilbert a sense of purpose to his life (even if he was no longer a nation, he was now a father, watching over and protecting his legacy), but something in Gilbert just cried out for _more_. He wanted (as he would put it) a whole nest of little chicks to tend to, little birds that would climb on him and ask him questions and grow strong with his guidance. Sometimes he had no idea what drove the urge, whether it was loneliness or depression or a desire to strengthen that one purpose that his life still had, but now he was one step closer to satisfying it.

The fundamental difference between the the little one in his arms, Nikolai, and Ludwig was that this child was the first one he would truly raise "from scratch." Nikolai and Ludwig had started out as children, but in this case Gilbert would receive no such head start. He knew the cautionary tales and lectures about never getting a decent night's sleep again, about the dreaded diapers, about just how much care this tiny embodiment of Gilbert's new future required to thrive, but he felt more than prepared to tackle all the oncoming challenges. He had been planning (well, part-daydreaming, part planning) for far longer than anyone would ever know.

A soft noise came from the bundle as the baby woke up from its nap and tried to stretch out. Two sleepy eyes fluttered open at last to reveal a shade of red just like Gilbert's own, proof of his contribution to the new life. There were a great many reasons why those eyes might have been strange and probably should have been a different color, but there were a great many unknowns surrounding this child's birth. Very few nations had been born in the traditional sense and by extension not many nations had ever contributed to such a birth, so it wasn't as if there was much data on the subject. Perhaps a nation's genes worked slightly differently. Perhaps Gilbert was just that special and his peculiar status amongst the nations gave both him and his child special properties. Who knew? Who cared? Gilbert was no scientist, and he certainly wasn't going to go nuts picking out aspects of the child's appearance that didn't seem "quite right" and working his brain into a corkscrew as to how they occurred.

Gilbert chuckled and stroked the baby's head with one careful finger, going through a tuft of white hair. "Frederike," he crooned softly, a smile on his face. Of course he'd name his "first" child (the first one he had the option of naming, anyway) for his beloved Old Fritz, even if he had to settle for a more feminine version befitting a daughter. Not that he was ever particularly picky over whether he would have a boy or a girl; as long as he had a healthy child to care for, he would be content. Besides, Frederike was the name of a woman who had snuck her way into the Prussian army disguised as a man and performed most admirably while she was in it. Either way, Gilbert's little girl was named for a most wonderful role model.

One tiny hand closed around Gilbert's finger, and Frederike made another noise for her doting father. "What's that? Are you hungry?" Gilbert didn't even have any qualms about the silly "baby talk" and that overly-soft-and-fluffy tone that adults often used with babies. He was using both of those things without even feeling the slightest bit awkward. Hell, he was _proud _of it. Grinning wider now, he stood up, making sure the baby was very securely cradled in his arms first. "Come on, come on. Let's go to Mommy. I bet she wants to be with you now, and she's gonna be mad that I made my turn so long."

_So precious..._


End file.
